Georgia Bulldog Fans Claim Indiana's Curt Cignetti is a Better Coach Than Kirby Smart

As the 2026 college football season approaches, it appears that some Georgia fans no longer believe Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football.

The conclusion of the 2025 college football season brought forth a historic champion as the Indiana Hoosiers went from a middling program, to the first ever 16-0 national champion in the sport's history thanks to head coach Curt Cignetti.

Cignetti's unprecedented success with the Hoosiers has since spark a debate between whom the best coach in college football is, with the majority of arguments surrounding he or Georgia's Kirby Smart.

The topic of discussion has been weighed in on by numerous analysts and experts, but fan opinions have mostly been relegated to posts on social media. However, a recent survey conducted by The Athletic has provided some major data points as to who college football fans believe is the sport's best coach.

Cignetti received a staggering 67% of fan votes, implying that the majority of the sport believes Smart is now college football's second-best coach. However, some of the testimonials proved to be rather interesting.

In the Athletic's article, a few Georgia fans were even quoted, citing their allegiance with Cignetti in the "best college football coach argument." Something that may be shocking to college football fans and other members of Dawg nation.

Georgia Fans Side Wide Curt Cignetti in "Best CFB Coach" Argument

Nov 1, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart celebrates after the game against the Florida Gators at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

“I’m trying to imagine someone doing with Georgia basketball what Cignetti did with Indiana football. I can’t. Cignetti instantly overcame a multi-decadal record of mediocre or worse," Georgia fan, Bill D told the Athletic. "Maybe NIL and the transfer portal at least render such a turnaround possible where before it wasn’t, but it’s still a phenomenal achievement and I don’t think we will see it duplicated soon, if ever.”

“Coach Cig took the WORST program of my lifetime and turned it into a national champion in two years. Some will argue that he did it mostly with grown men, but those same adults were available to the rest of the country," Georgia fan, Xavier told The Athletic. "The pudding’s proof will be can he sustain this pace? He has won everywhere he has been. Let’s see if he can keep Kirby Smart, Ryan Day and the like where they currently sit: Behind him.”

Despite Smart's successes in just a decade as Georgia's head coach, the Bulldogs have gone three full seasons without a College Football Playoff victory. This has sparked a great deal of impatience with some members of the fan base.

While there appears to be a few Dawg fans that no longer believe Smart is the best coach in college football, the majority of Georgia fans would almost certainly pledge their allegiance to Kirby Smart and his staff.